Hopkins gets hot late as FPC downs DeLand, 58-49

Tyler Hopkins scored 15 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter Thursday to lead Flagler Palm Coast to a 58-49 victory over DeLand in an in-school game at DeLand Gymnasium.

BUDDY SHACKLETTESTAFF WRITER

DELAND -- With half of his starting backcourt on the bench for the second half of Thursday's game, Flagler Palm Coast coach Gary McDaniel turned to senior playmaker Tyler Hopkins. Hopkins responded by scoring 11 of FPC's final 13 points as the visiting Bulldogs held off a late charge by DeLand and picked up a 58-49 victory. The game tipped off at 12:30 p.m., so students could enjoy an afternoon of basketball. Hopkins hit five 3-pointers, tallied a game-high 28 points and scored 15 of FPC's 21 fourth-quarter points. “We had nobody step up that wanted to guard (Hopkins),'' DeLand coach John Zeoli said. “He killed us late in the game.''Hopkins picked up the slack after Deshawn Barrero was benched for disciplinary reasons, McDaniel said.FPC improved to 4-1 on the season. DeLand fell to 1-2.“I put the ball in (Tyler's) hands and told him to make some plays,” McDaniel said. “He scores so well that he's able to handle the environment. My other go-to perimeter player had a few issues and due to discipline, he didn't play the whole second half.''Barrero scored five points in the opening half and was a presence on the floor for FPC, but that didn't keep DeLand from jumping out to a 20-9 first-quarter lead.DeLand got 13 points and five rebounds from Kyle Epping, a transfer from Father Lopez, while guard Monolito Hamilton chipped in 11 points. “We just had breakdowns,” Zeoli said. “I don't know why we would be overconfident. There's no reason to be overconfident when you're 1-1. Our defense in the second half, we just didn't challenge them enough. They just pretty much did what they wanted to.''The guard play of Hamilton and Chancey Kennedy helped DeLand to a 25-19 halftime lead, but FPC chiseled away at that lead in the third quarter and took a 37-36 advantage into the final period.FPC outscored DeLand 18-11 in the third quarter, and DeLand got as close as 45-44 in the final quarter, before Hamilton and Kennedy fouled out late.DeLand showed good balance -- with eight players scoring. But in the end, Hopkins -- who also hit 9 of 11 free throws -- was just too much down the stretch.DeLand came out ready to play, running out to a 20-9 first-quarter lead on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, and got nine points out of Hamilton.“The fact that we came out slow was a credit to (DeLand),'' McDaniel said. “They were picking us apart, so we had to find something that works. Once we found it, we finally executed.''